September 23, 2013 - by PinPoint

Even the most experience driver can choose the wrong route, either by getting stuck in the Monday morning traffic of a usually empty street or by relying on memory rather than facts. Experience is something most of your drivers will lack, because you will certainly hire more youngsters than middle aged driving gurus. So it is easy to deduce that drivers will more often than not choose wrong routes to reach their destination than not.

Another problem with routing is that even the business manager can make mistakes, because street traffic is a fickle thing that changes easily and maps don’t often clearly show correct routes. Traffic signs change faster than maps and streets are closed for repairs all the time without anyone telling you. This way even the best routing manager will do mistakes that will cost a lot of money and may harm the reputation of your business.

Fast routes are not always the ones that appear to be the shortest distance on the map. There are plenty of other facts that make a route fast, like for instance:

The size of the streets. Narrow streets are often slower to drive on than wide ones. If the shortest distance includes a lot of narrow streets then maybe the second shortest option with larger streets is faster to drive on.

The buildings on the route. If your seemingly shortest route passes in front of the city court house or a busy school then other, not so short routes, may be faster after all, because a lot of people will be crossing the streets in these places and a lot of cars will go there causing traffic problems. Just imagine the school bell ringing just before your car reaches the place and suddenly hundreds of eager parents are filling the streets with their cars ready to pick up their kids. It is a logistical nightmare.

The size of your vehicle. Taxis might get away by using a narrow road or two, but if your vehicles are large or even massive, then you absolutely need to take that into account when choosing routes. Sharp corners, low bridges, busy areas are all a no-no when it comes to big trucks.

The direction of the streets. Street directions may change overnight and you will never know, turning an otherwise great route into a nightmare.

The area your target location is in. If you have to drive to a super market in some busy little place it is quite different than if you are going to an industrial area. You have to take into account that areas which are densely populated are harder to drive in, because many people drive there to go home or work and many people walk those streets. Avoiding densely populated areas as much as possible.

Time is certainly the main thing you are losing to bad routing. Your clients will always appreciate punctuality and will certainly prefer the faster business out of the lot. Especially if your clients have their own busy schedules to work through you can’t afford to stall a whole other business because of bad routes.

Time is not the only thing you are losing though. You are also losing gas money, which we all know is a problem in our times. Gas prices have only risen in the last years and there doesn’t seem to be an end to that in sight. This is why it is crucial for a business that works with a vehicle fleet to be very careful about how much gas money it spends. Better routes save a lot of gas money.

There is no perfect solution to improve your routes, because every business is different and every city works differently, but there is certainly a better option than doing it yourself. GPS tracking systems will choose within seconds the route which high tech computers have considered to be the fastest, way before you even get out your map. The system will also change routes as soon as any trouble is being faced. So if you get stuck or choose a new street the GPS system will immediately find you the next best route, without any delay or phone calls needed to be made.

Clients will be amazed how you’ll be the first there, when everybody else is stuck driving slowly through narrow streets or doing unnecessary loops around buildings to reach their destination.

Whenever there is an emergency and your driver has to take an unfamiliar route your GPS tracking system will immediately help them get back on track. As soon as you need to change any route you can immediately do so by just sending the new information to your driver’s GPS, without having to make tedious calls or explain through messages or radio.

Conclusion

In our times where gas prices are constantly on the rise, choosing truly fast routes can be a lifesaver to any company that works with vehicle fleets. Being able to change routes efficiently on a second’s notice is something only a machine can do and that machine is the GPS tracking system for you and your business. Fast changes, clear guidelines, great flexibility, these are only a few of the benefits of using a GPS tracking system. Your clients will appreciate your fast services and your business will appreciate the improved profits.